Reflection
by Willowred
Summary: A short story about Jack and Teague - Jack contemplates life without the Black Pearl and Teague considers taking a new post ..... please review - constructive critiscm welcome!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Reflection on the Pier

Jack Sparrow had decided that he did not care much for curses. Mostly tall stories told to frighten children or to keep other pirates away from one's treasure, nonetheless there were real curses, and some were nasty. Poxes or some sort of terrible affliction – they were popular. Fortunately lots of pirates suffered from some affliction or other anyway so there were always folk around to use as a back up to the story to give it substance. Jack had never met another man suffering from a disease caught from finding a cursed treasure or removing it. He had met men with various limbs missing, lost in battle, or an eye – but never a disease.

But this curse – now that was interesting. Jack had no proof of its existence, true enough. But the source was reliable and anyway if there was a God, it was about time he helped out old Jack Sparrow, made up for the whole marooning episode which left him on an island for three days, until the rum runners turned up and gave him passage off the blasted place.

Jack sighed, and rocked his empty rum bottle in his hand, not really registering that it was exactly that. The fact that the crew was cursed, that was one thing. But the curse apparently extended to the ship – now that was terribly unfortunate. And now The Black Pearl was the scourge of the seas, feared by all. Not exactly the reputation Jack had worked hard to carve out for himself. It was still bloody fast though.

"Here you are Jackie." Jack jumped as his empty bottle of rum was removed from his hand and a full bottle was put in its place.

"Thanks …. Dad."

There wasn't much between the two pirate Captains. Neither had a ship to call their own. The Black Pearl had been taken in the mutiny of course; the only thing that made that bearable for Jack was the curse that the crew now carried. Teague had lost his ship in a wager over a woman who lived on Tortuga – a woman who wouldn't entertain Teague as it turned out, despite his talent for weaving stories and charming young women. He didn't understand why she couldn't apparently stand him. Teague had suffered more slaps to the face at the hands of that bloody woman than he had fallen over from the effects of a night on the rum. But that was now history and Teague had a new task to think about.

Father and son looked remarkably similar, although Teague was noticeably older. Jack's bandanna was a deeper red than that of his father, but both men wore their black hair long and in dreadlocks. Teague's hair was much longer, and he had many more trinkets and beads tied into it than his son did. He also had a large silver key tied to a particularly long dreadlock, which he refused to discuss with anyone or divulge what it unlocked. Jack swore that Teague copied the look from him, but Teague stated it was more the other way around.

Jack stared out to sea, peaceful and calm it was tonight – and wondered which port Barbossa and his crew of miscreants were pillaging. They were probably many miles away – wreaking havoc and chaos, slaying anyone who got in their way. God knows that was all they could do now. Searching the world over for every piece of the gold they had taken from the Isla De Muerta. Stealing it back to return it, along with the blood of every man who had taken but a single piece. Had they not had The Pearl, it really would have been quite funny.

"So…." Teague broke Jack's thoughts, "What are your intentions Jackie? I'd forget about the Pearl if I were you….. there's not much call for a cursed ship nowadays."

Jack let out a long sigh. "The Immortal Captain Sparrow…. I like that."

"It's not worth it boy. Never to touch, never to taste, never to….. well anyway it takes all the fun out of good to honest piratin' so it does."

Jack knew his father was right of course. But he had yet to face up to the reality of his beloved ship being gone, and gone for good too. His friends gone, or the crew he thought were friends. Bootstrap – now that was a bitter pill to swallow. Good man, bloody good pirate. And now he was one of them no doubt - cursed for all eternity, unless they could really lift the blasted thing. He had tried to stick up for Jack during the mutiny though, which was more than could be said for any of the other scurvy bilge rats.

"Well enough of my woes, now what about this…." Jack absently waved a dirty arm towards his father, "This task of yours?"

Teague smiled a crooked, toothy smile and straightened his hat a little. Stolen from a man with a clearly much bigger head that Teague, the hat had a mind of its own and a pesky habit of slipping down over his eye.

"I'm thinking it over Jackie. Tis a big responsibility. I'm not sure I'm up to it." Teague took a long swig of his rum. "And Shipwreck Cove is not really my idea of home son."

"You've never had a home dad."

"That's exactly the point lad. Can I really sit and guard that bloody book for all time, it's not really me is it?"

Jack frowned and continued to stare out to sea. "Well I don't know. The Codex chooses the keeper so they say, not the other way around. If you've been chosen…" he shrugged, "Well you can't really refuse. And you'll have the occasion Brethren Court to keep you company."

Teague laughed. "Ha! That's not going to happen in your lifetime boy. The brethren all together in one room is not a good idea."

"How's mum?" Jack shuddered as he asked and in all honesty, he didn't really care for the answer to that particular question, having never got along with the woman in his life. But he felt he had to ask.

Teague fished about in his coat and frowned as he struggled to locate something – the pockets of this particular garment, won in a bet, as most of Teague's possessions were, were numerous and randomly placed. This particular coat also boasted pockets inside which was rare in Teague's book. He let out a triumphant cry as he found what he was looking for – and produced a shrunken head.

Jack recoiled. "She looks, erm, well." He murmured.

Teague stuffed the head back in his pocket and nodded, "Aye she's grand."

He suddenly leaned forward, so close Jack thought their noses would touch. "Have you ever seen the codex boy?"

Jack shook his head and leaned back a little, mostly to regain focus on his father, who had gone hazy since invading his space.

"No. I once knew a man who claimed he had seen it. Bloody big heavy thing he said it was, but it did answer the very thing he needed to know and …."

"No!!" Teague slammed a fist down on the pier so hard he wobbled and Jack thought he may fall over the side. He didn't. "No son. That's the thing. Not many have seen it. Oh, they speak of it. The Codex. Legendary. I used to know a man who said that every wager he ever won or lost was based on something in the codex. It wasn't true though. The keeper doesn't use the codex to settle scores. No…" Teague drifted off, his thoughts weighing heavy on him. "The Codex is the rules boy. Morgan and Bartholomew were good pirates that they were, but they were clever too. They knew we needed the Codex, something to live by. The code – its there for a reason and to become keeper of the code…. You have to believe in those rules."

"And do you?"

"I don't know." Teague sighed, "I really don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just playing with them ………

Chapter 2 – Movements

The pier was always busy but today it seemed particularly so.

"Comings and goings, to-ings and fro-ings," Jack mumbled, as a likely bunch of lads passed him carrying crates. One of the crates seemed too heavy for it's bearer, who's skinny legs looked as though they may buckle under the strain. And another seemed to contain something alive, judging by the noise coming from within it.

But Jack was more interested in listening to an elderly gent stood nearby with a young lady – an unlikely pairing it seemed, but if shillings or gold pieces were involved, Giselle was never choosy. The gent was agitated and holding Giselle's delicate hands, implored her to stay safe. Jack snorted. He had known Giselle for years, on and off, he even knew her when her name was Jane, plain old Jane, and the Giselle persona hadn't even been dreamt up – if there was one thing Giselle knew how to do it was to stay safe. Provided there was a pretty penny in it for her. Jack overheard the words "Nassau port," and "Trouble on the way," and allowed himself to wonder, just for a fleeting second, whether it could be the unfortunate band of cursed miscreants of the Pearl that was troubling the man. Jack's ex crew, and not so long ago, his friends. Well, some of them anyway.

Jack looked up and down the pier for any sign of Teague, of which there was none. He sighed. The man was so unreliable. He was probably still propping up the bar in the bloody tavern. He'd probably forgotten he was meant to be leaving today, in which case he would miss the posting and that would be that. Hmm. Jack frowned as his brain thought through this possibility. One thing he didn't want, in these troubled times, was his father tagging along – he had a ship to find and Teague would slow him down. Feeling a slight urgently building up in the pit of his stomach, Jack began to pace the pier, hoping Teague would swagger up suddenly without a care in the world, in only the way that a Sparrow could.

He passed the elderly man and the young beautiful Giselle, she looked him up and down as he passed by. Jack smirked. He wouldn't interrupt them, curious as he was as to what was bothering the man. But nor would be play along with her "lady of the manor" routine, a ploy that seemed to mesmerize every pirate on Tortuga – apart from Jack Sparrow. So he strolled by, with the confidence of a pirate about to re-gain his ship – and hang the consequences if it was cursed!

"…sacked Nassau port," Jack overheard and he stopped, passed, swung around and strolled back in the direction he had just come from. Jack remembered a time in the not so distant past when he and the crew had sacked Nassau Port without so much as firing a shot. No casualties. A few injuries yes, a major brawl and a standoff involving his precious pistol, Twigg and his sword and a nobleman intent on protecting his treasures. But the nobleman had obviously re-thought his position and decided instead to turn and run. Twigg had urged Jack to shoot the man, but Jack thought the bullet a waste considering the man was no threat, and anyway, he couldn't really be bothered.

Giselle eyed Jack suspiciously as he passed them again. "Looking for someone?" she called out, oblivious to her companion's attempts to engage her in chat.

Jack smiled and touched his hat, in a sort of gentlemanly fashion.

"Indeed I am, my darling Giselle. And if I don't find him soon then I fear I shall be stuck with him on this god forsaken island for some time, with only the company of your good self to call upon in times of need."

Giselle grinned. Most of Jack's words had gone over her head he knew, however, what did that matter when the head was so pretty? "There's worse places to be Jack."

"Shipwreck Cove for one," someone slurred into Jack's ear.

Jack spun round, Teague had the most annoying knack of creeping up on him. Teague grinned an almost toothless, lopsided grin at him. "Thought I'd forgotten did you lad?"

"No." Not so much forgotten Jack thought. More decided against it. He inwardly sighed with relief as he glanced around for his father's possessions. There seemed to be none.

Teague shrugged. "Had nothing to bring," he said, knowing what Jack was looking for. He turned towards the ship and tipped his hat to shield his eyes from the sun. "That's her is it? The old girl that'll take me to the bloody place?"

"You don't seem very excited about it."

"Excited? No, not really. But I've been called upon, haven't I, same as you with that bloody gold….. I've got to go. Sometimes there just isn't a choice."

"Choice was taken away from me dad, glad though I am that it was, such as things turned out…" Jack followed his father's steps towards the plank leading up to the ship. "So this is it then – goodbye for now?"

Teague turned and looked both sober and serious in a sudden flash. A rare and dangerous thing in Jack's experience.

"I mean it son, what I said to you. Forget about the Pearl, and that damned crew, they are lost to you now. They'll make themselves known soon enough but they're not your fight now. Mark my words there's bigger things coming."

Jack frowned and nodded. Then he sighed. He couldn't lie. "I'm headed for Port Royal. I think I'll be able to commandeer a ship there and then I'll see what happens. Something tells me that's a good place to start."

"How are you going to get there boy?"

"I'm going to borrow the boat of ….a friend. She's very supportive of said venture." Jack felt a little pang as he lied to his father. He was about to steal the boat in question, but it really was his only option. And he had every intention of returning it.

"Very well," Teague didn't look convinced but he knew better than to try and advise Jack. "You'll be welcome in Shipwreck Cove, should you pass by that way. I'll be waiting."

The two med raised their hats to each other and Teague strode off, albeit a little wobbly and was soon out of site somewhere on the main deck. Jack watched for a few moments as others boarded the ship, some heading for new lives, some escaping from old ones, and wondered whether the Captain knew he was carrying on his ship the new Keeper of the Code, the very thing that every one of them proclaimed to live by, with varying success.

As he turned to head towards the Jolly Mon, Jack wondered whether to spend this last day on Tortuga with Giselle, then quickly decided against it. With the wind in his favour he knew he could make good time for Port Royal……….


End file.
